The Teen Hackers Who Outsmarted the CIA

Photo by Azamat E on Unsplash

1. The Setup

• A group of hackers, including a high school student, decided to target CIA Director John Brennan’s email.
• They used social engineering techniques and technical know-how to gain access.

2. Reverse Lookup and Verizon

• First, they performed a reverse lookup on Brennan’s phone number.
• Discovering he was a Verizon customer, they posed as Verizon technicians.
• They claimed they needed Brennan’s account details for a scheduled callback.
• By providing a fabricated employee Vcode, they obtained his account number, PIN, backup mobile number, AOL email address, and bank card digits.

3. Hacking AOL

• Next, they called AOL, claiming they were locked out of their account.
• Using information obtained from Verizon, they answered security questions and reset the password.
• Brennan lost access to his account but kept resetting the password, unaware of the breach.

4. Sensitive Data

• While in Brennan’s account, they retrieved sensitive data.
• Among the attachments was a spreadsheet with names and Social Security numbers, including those of U.S. intelligence officials.
• They also found a letter from the Senate urging the CIA to stop using torture tactics in interrogations.

5. The Consequences

• Brennan realized he’d been hacked when the group contacted him.
• They jokingly asked for 2 trillion dollars, but their real message was about freedom for Palestine and an end to killing innocent people.
• The breach exposed vulnerabilities in security practices.

6. Lessons Learned

• Social engineering can be as powerful as technical hacking.
• Organizations must improve their verification processes.
• Even high-ranking officials can fall victim to clever tactics.

In summary, these teen hackers demonstrated that even the CIA isn’t immune to well-executed social engineering. Their actions highlighted the need for better security practices and vigilance.